How do pupils log in to Yumu?

Pupils log in at charanga.com/yumu/login with the username and password their class or instrument teacher gives them. Teachers create these logins for whole classes. Pupils who forget their details ask their teacher. A pupil with a letter from a teacher signs up through the link on the login page.

YuStudio is Charanga’s digital audio workstation for schools. It runs in the browser on tablets, laptops and Chromebooks, so schools install nothing, and works with USB MIDI devices. It comes with Charanga Secondary and Musical School. Since September 2026 there is also a free YuStudio Mobile app for iPhone and Android.

Is Charanga free for schools in Wales?

Yes. The Welsh Government funds Charanga Cymru, a bilingual platform in English and Welsh, and every school in Wales can use it free of charge. Charanga says more than 90% of schools in Wales have adopted it.

Mark Burke and Paul Fletcher founded Charanga in 1997, and Paul Fletcher is CEO. Wise Music Group was the majority owner until it sold its digital education division to Achieve Partners, a New York private equity firm, in January 2025. Charanga is now part of Ovation Education with MusicFirst and Rising Software.

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K-12 learning 🇬🇧 Brighton, United Kingdom Since 1997

Charanga

Music lessons, schemes of work and the YuStudio DAW for primary and secondary schools.

Visit charanga.com Try Charanga free All companies

teachers, according to Charanga: 70,000+
learners: 2.5M+
schools: 12,500+
countries: 64

About Charanga

Charanga is a Brighton company that makes an online music platform for schools and music services. Its primary programme, Musical School, gives teachers week-by-week lessons for pupils aged 5–11, and Charanga Secondary gives students aged 11–16 YuStudio, a DAW that runs in the browser. Pupils work in Yumu, a student area with logins that teachers create. Charanga quotes prices per school, based on the number of pupils, and every programme has a 30-day free trial without payment details. Since January 2025 Charanga belongs to the New York private equity firm Achieve Partners and is part of its Ovation Education group.

Charanga sells subscriptions to its music platform to schools, music hubs and music services. A school licence gives every teacher and student at the school access. Teachers follow a Scheme of Work, mix units from different Schemes or build their own, and share lessons and assignments with pupils through Yumu.

Mark Burke, a graduate of the Royal College of Music in London, and Paul Fletcher, a computer scientist, founded Charanga in 1997. The two grew up together in Bolton. The legal entity, Charanga Limited, was incorporated in 1983 under another name and took the Charanga name in June 1996.

Music Sales Limited, part of Wise Music Group, held more than half of the shares until December 2024. In January 2025 Wise Music sold its digital education division, with Charanga and the US company MusicFirst, to Achieve Partners. Charanga also builds national platforms: Charanga Cymru for every school in Wales, paid for by the Welsh Government, and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Shakespeare Curriculum.

History

1983 The company that becomes Charanga Limited is incorporated as Shellfold Limited on 24 January.
1996 The company takes the name Charanga Limited in June. Mark Burke and Paul Fletcher become directors in May.
1997 Mark Burke and Paul Fletcher found Charanga, according to the company.
2021 Adds a Model Music Curriculum Scheme and a Scheme builder. Musical School wins the Bett Award for Primary Content in July.
2022 Launches Charanga Secondary with the YuStudio DAW in January and adds YuStudio to Musical School in November.
2022 Launches Charanga Cymru, a bilingual platform free for every school in Wales, funded by the Welsh Government.
2023 Musical School wins a Bett Award in March. Charanga starts a partnership with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in November.
2025 Achieve Partners buys Charanga and MusicFirst from Wise Music Group, announced on 10 January.
2025 Launches the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Shakespeare Curriculum, built on Charanga’s platform, in November.
2026 Musical School wins the Education Resources Award for primary ICT in April. YuStudio Mobile comes out for iPhone and Android in September.

Leadership

Paul Fletcher Co-founder and CEO
Mark Burke Co-founder and director, international business
Mark Cardy Education Director
Max Wheeler Head of Music Technology
Tony Pinkham Head of Marketing and Communications
Ruth Jones Data Protection Officer and Designated Safeguarding Lead

Dr Jim Frankel, founder of MusicFirst and CEO of Ovation Education, has been a director of Charanga Limited since December 2024.

How Musical School works

resources on the platform: 25,000+
songs in Charanga Sing: 500+
instruments in First Notes to First Band: 26

Creative Music Scheme
Original Scheme for the National Curriculum
Scheme builder
Freestyle library
Charanga Sing song bank
SEND section with signed songs
Rockschool method books
YuStudio DAW
Yumu student area
Free CPD and webinars

Video, blogs and resources

Products

Musical School Primary programme for ages 5–11 with week-by-week lessons, Schemes of Work for the National Curriculum in England and Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland, and over 25,000 resources. Musical School
Charanga Secondary and YuStudio Programme for ages 11–16 built around YuStudio, a DAW in the browser with no seat limits. It runs on tablets, laptops and Chromebooks and connects to USB MIDI devices. Charanga says over 100,000 students use it. Charanga Secondary
Yumu Student area with usernames and passwords that teachers set up. Pupils open shared lessons, YuStudio and their own work at school and at home. Music Pro adds optional text or audio messages between teachers and students. Yumu for students
Music Pro Programme for instrumental and vocal teachers at music services, with beginner courses for many instruments, an admin dashboard for the whole service and Arts Award digital portfolios. Music services
YuStudio Mobile Free app for iPhone, iPad and Android with drum pads, an on-screen keyboard and effects. Students log in with their Charanga details and export tracks to the full YuStudio. App Store
Charanga Cymru Bilingual platform in English and Welsh for the Curriculum for Wales, with resources for instrumental teaching. It is free for Welsh schools. Charanga in Wales

How much is Charanga?

Primary Musical School Quote per school primary, ages 5–11, one-year licence
Charanga Secondary Quote per school ages 11–16, YuStudio with no seat limits
Musical School International Quote per school international schools, ages 5–11
Secondary International Quote per school international schools, ages 11–16
Music Pro and DfE Capital Grant products On request music services and hubs

Is Charanga free?

Every programme has a 30-day free trial with full access, no payment details and no obligation to subscribe. Charanga Cymru is free for schools in Wales. The Shakespeare Curriculum is free for UK state secondary and SEND schools. YuStudio Mobile is free on the App Store.

Charanga does not publish a price list. On 16 October 2026 its pricing pages asked schools to pick their school from a register and showed a quote for that school. Charanga’s blog of 18 November 2024 says fees depend on the number of students in the school, and many music hubs and music services subsidise licences or give them free.

For music services and hubs

Music services

01Music services get tabs with their own content on the platform, usage data and reports for funders.
02Music Pro gives instrumental and vocal teachers courses, YuStudio, Yumu and an admin dashboard.
03Charanga is a supplier on the DfE Capital Grant framework, with three YuStudio products that last five years and can move between schools.
04Education Director Mark Cardy leads work with music services and the CPD programme.

Quotes from Charanga. The Capital Grant covers the SITE50 and MUSICPRO50 products, which run for five years.

Latest news

12 October 2026Free Urdd Eisteddfod 2027 rehearsal resources for every school in Wales
15 September 2026Introducing YuStudio Mobile
24 April 2026Charanga Musical School wins ERA Award 2026
12 November 2025Charanga and the RSC launch the Shakespeare Curriculum
10 January 2025Charanga and MusicFirst acquired by Achieve Partners
9 January 2025Wise Music Group sells its digital education division to Achieve Partners, Music Business Worldwide

Contacts and company data

Legal entity: Charanga Limited, 5th Floor, International House, 78–81 Queens Road, Brighton, BN1 3XE, United Kingdom
Company number: 01693650, England and Wales
Incorporated: 24 January 1983, named Charanga Limited since June 1996
Business: SIC 58290, other software publishing
Group: Ovation Education, with MusicFirst and Rising Software
Hosting: AWS in Ireland, eu-west-1
Security: Cyber Essentials certification for 2025

Alternatives to Charanga

How we built this profile

Sources. Facts come from the company’s own website, press room, imprint and careers page, from Wikipedia, the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Every source is listed on the page.
Checks. Kinescope checked every number on 16 October 2026. Prices, ratings and job counts change, and we refresh them with each update.
Our words. Descriptions are written by the Kinescope team. Quotes from reviews are marked with the author and source, and we do not rate the company ourselves.
Corrections. The company can send new facts or corrections, and we update the profile.

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Charanga FAQ

Charanga is an online music education platform from Charanga Limited in Brighton. Primary schools use Musical School for pupils aged 5–11, and secondary schools use Charanga Secondary with the YuStudio DAW for students aged 11–16. Charanga says 70,000+ teachers in 12,500+ schools and 64 countries use it.

Charanga does not publish a price list. Schools get a quote on charanga.com/site/pricing after they pick their school, and fees depend on the number of pupils. Many music hubs and music services subsidise Charanga licences or give them to schools for free, so a school can ask its local hub first.

Yes. Musical School, Charanga Secondary and the international programmes each have a 30-day free trial with full access. Charanga takes no payment details, and there is no obligation to subscribe afterwards. Teachers start it at charanga.com/site/free-trial.

Teachers log in at charanga.com/site/log-in with their username or email address and password. A forgotten password can be reset at charanga.com/user/forgot_password, or the school’s Charanga Coordinator can send a reset email. Peripatetic teachers ask their music service’s Charanga administrator. Login help: helpdesk@charanga.com or 01273 823 900, Monday to Friday, 9.00 to 5.30.

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